Background The prevalence of depressive disorders is high among patients with skin disease. The PC-SAD is a 37-item self-administered depression screening questionnaire that has been validated in dermatological patients. Objective The aim of this study was to develop and validate a brief depression severity instrument derived from the PC-SAD that can be used to assess severity and monitor ongoing clinical course. Methods Two patient samples participated in the study: 72 adult dermatological inpatients and 73 adults attending six primary care practices. Psychiatric assessment included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and an 18-item version of the PC-SAD; moreover, dermatological patients completed the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9), while primary care patients were administered the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). A subset of five PC-SAD items showing the best psychometric properties were selected, and the reliability and validity of the resulting instrument (PC-SAD5) were examined. Results The PC-SAD5 showed satisfactory internal consistency in both samples. There was a high correlation between PC-SAD5 and PHQ-9 and MADRS scores. Multiple regression analysis revealed a gradient of PC-SAD5 scores from patients with no mental disorder, those with milder forms of depression, to those with Major Depressive Disorder. Similar results were observed for the 18-item version of the PC-SAD. Conclusion The availability of valid and reliable continuous measures of depression severity derived from the PCSAD extends its field of application from depression screening to use as a follow-up measure of depression severity in routine clinical practice. A validated very short instrument such as the PC-SAD5 may have substantial clinical value. Received: 31 October 2010; Accepted: 31 January 2011
Development and preliminary validation of the PC-SAD5, a screener-derived short depression severity measure / Picardi, A.; Adler, D. A.; Chang, H.; Lega, I.; Gigantesco, A.; Pasi, P.; Matteucci, G.; Zerella, M. P.; Caredda, Maria; Tarsitani, Lorenzo; Biondi, Massimo; Rogers, W. H.. - In: JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY AND VENEREOLOGY. - ISSN 0926-9959. - 26:2(2012), pp. 165-171. [10.1111/j.1468-3083.2011.04022.x]
Development and preliminary validation of the PC-SAD5, a screener-derived short depression severity measure
M. P. Zerella;Lorenzo Tarsitani;Massimo Biondi;
2012
Abstract
Background The prevalence of depressive disorders is high among patients with skin disease. The PC-SAD is a 37-item self-administered depression screening questionnaire that has been validated in dermatological patients. Objective The aim of this study was to develop and validate a brief depression severity instrument derived from the PC-SAD that can be used to assess severity and monitor ongoing clinical course. Methods Two patient samples participated in the study: 72 adult dermatological inpatients and 73 adults attending six primary care practices. Psychiatric assessment included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and an 18-item version of the PC-SAD; moreover, dermatological patients completed the Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale (PHQ-9), while primary care patients were administered the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). A subset of five PC-SAD items showing the best psychometric properties were selected, and the reliability and validity of the resulting instrument (PC-SAD5) were examined. Results The PC-SAD5 showed satisfactory internal consistency in both samples. There was a high correlation between PC-SAD5 and PHQ-9 and MADRS scores. Multiple regression analysis revealed a gradient of PC-SAD5 scores from patients with no mental disorder, those with milder forms of depression, to those with Major Depressive Disorder. Similar results were observed for the 18-item version of the PC-SAD. Conclusion The availability of valid and reliable continuous measures of depression severity derived from the PCSAD extends its field of application from depression screening to use as a follow-up measure of depression severity in routine clinical practice. A validated very short instrument such as the PC-SAD5 may have substantial clinical value. Received: 31 October 2010; Accepted: 31 January 2011I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.